Formation of each complex is initiated in the Sertoli cell by a clathrin-coated pit (Young et al., 2009a), which retains an attachment to the neighboring germ cell plasma membrane as the complex elongates and matures (Russell and Clermont, 1976) (Fig. 2A).
CIS in the vicinity of all germ cell tumours also displayed uniform membrane staining.
However, germ cell migration toward the basement membrane was impaired, beginning at P5.
The present findings extend previous observations by providing more direct evidence that DBP-induced germ cell aggregation results from dissolution of Sertoli germ cell membrane cross-linking (via espin APC), which in turn may result from the redistribution of microfilaments, such as vimentin and N-cadherin.
These fractures may reveal features associated with an E-face (in Figure 2, representing the outer membrane leaflet of the somatic sheath cell overlying the germ cell) or P-face (representing the inner membrane leaflet of the germ cell).
This transgene is expressed in the germline, where GFP GAP-3 preferentially localizes to the cell membrane of all GFP GAP-3s excepreferentiallythat is about to ovulocalizes. 2A).
In contrast, in DBP-exposed rats at E17.5 and E21.5, Sertoli cell cytoplasm was not evident between the germ cells, and there was no overlapping of espin and APC expression, indicative of the absence of direct Sertoli germ cell membrane contact, coincident with germ cell aggregation.
We also observed that the underlying mechanism for DBP-induced germ cell aggregation is probably a loss of Sertoli germ cell membrane interaction, potentially due to microfilament redistribution within Sertoli cells.
Moreover, our results suggest similar DBP-induced loss of Sertoli germ cell membrane contact among differentiated germ cells.
For staining of the cell membrane, tetramethylrhodamine-conjugated WGA (wheat germ agglutinin (2 μg mL−1 (in PBS), W849, Thermo-Fisher-Scientific (Invitrogen), Waltham, MA, USA) was added and incubated for 10 min at room temperature.
